Humancasting

In the recent past, Information Technology has witnessed rapid growth and expansion due to changes brought about by Internet. This has created a business environment that overloads with information. Despite the availability of other methods such as pushcasting and Webcasting software that can be used to manage overload information, network users ought to determine that the information they are searching is the one they require. In this regard, humancasting technique seems to be an efficient technique of overcoming overload of information. Users can make use of two behavioral techniques that humancasting presents.

These strategies include the shrinking strategy and the exploring strategy. The former strategy boasts of components such as receiving, filtering, reviewing and prioritizing principals, whereas the later in incorporates searching, evaluating, filtering and evaluating principles. These strategies designed to enable users find the information they need in the internet for making sound business decisions. Information Technology gurus argue that the strategies can be used to overcome information overload. This paper, therefore, seeks to analyze the concept humancasting and how it functions to reduce information overload, which has over time, been a thorny issue for the business community at both individual and organizational levels.

It is common knowledge that information is a powerful tool behind the success of any business. Moreover, provision of information through information technology is more vital. This is because business can provide information about their products and get feedback about the same from the customers. There are a number of internet tools and techniques for searching Websites, however, most of them are not effective resulting in the user information overload. This section intends to briefly review the information overload by giving it a detailed definition, explore humancasting framework and how it overcomes information overload, applicability of humancasting in Web search and Email, and lastly, it will give a conclusion of the discussed subjects.

It is paramount to acquaint ourselves with the term information overload. Information has been defined in varied ways. However, in comprehensible terms information can be defined as messages related to all aspects of human beings' interest. This definition allows classification of information as relevant, important, and useful information. This classification helps us define information overload. The relevant information from this point of view is part of given information that which is connected to particular interest of human beings. The useful information, in this case, is part of relevant information, which determines the characteristics of particular interest. From the definition, of information gives an insight into the definition of information overload. Information overload is that is not useful in nature. Thus, when information is reduced from given information base to relevant information then information overload is gradually reduced. Any information termed as useful does not have information download.

Having discussed information overload, it is paramount to delve into humancasting. Humancasting is defined as a set of psychological strategies, which utilize information technology, to cut down information download. Humancasting plays different roles in reducing information overload. In this case, humancasting utilizes three phases in their functioning. Firstly, human casting shows how pull and push technology relate in the process of identifying useful information. The second phase, which is the, flow of humancasting, shows how strategies of human casting can connect with each other to achieve useful information. This is informed by probing what one needs for the user. The third phase explores and elaborates on the tactical principals associated with shrinking and exploring principle. In a nutshell, humancasting is tasked with the responsibility of identifying useful information. With a large base available to Information Technology, push and pull technology can be used as initial tools of reducing user information overload.

Pull technology can provide the category of information relevant to users, whereas push technology gather the relevant information. In short, pull and push technologies can be used as tools of searching possible, relevant information. It is worth noting that in humancasting users have to involve their human intelligence since they contain a set of techniques that are implemented by pull or push technologies. Failure to apply intelligence, users might fail to achieve their goals in that the process of identifying relevant information might be rendered negative. Humancasting also utilize the effectiveness of both pull and push technologies because they offer solutions to users. They give guides such as what to do Where to go? Where should I go? Humancasting, therefore, in the process of identifying useful information just brightens the path towards obtaining useful information while the pull and push technology acts as bridges on the path to attaining these goals.

Shrinking and exploring strategies can be equally used in identifying useful information thus reducing information overload. The two components use the question "What do I need?" If one identifies the answer as yes, then the information obtained is relevant information. The two strategies comprise of a number of components which they incorporate in their effort to identify relevant information. These components involve searching, evaluating, filtering, and prioritizing. These apply to the exploring strategy. On the other hand, shrinking strategy incorporate receiving, reviewing, filtering, and prioritizing to find useful information.

In conclusion, this paper has discussed the two behavioral strategies. These are exploring and shrinking strategies which are necessary in overcoming user information overload resulting from internet growth. We have also seen that by integrating pull and push technologies, computer network users can find useful information in an effective way which can be used in making sound business decisions. Behavioral technique and technology can be used to find useful information thus significantly reducing user information overload.